This free embroidery pattern is based on a quote taken from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and very apt for these crazy COVID times we are living through.

“What a strange world we live in said Alice to the Queen of Hearts”.

Download the design to make your own Alice in Wonderland Hoop Art, using whatever embroidery stitches and threads appeal most to you. I opted for red, navy and a splash of gold, but I could see this working with a variety of colour palettes. Suggested stitches are outlined below to give you an idea of the approach I took.

The design works with a 7 inch hoop.

This embroidery design was inspired by this month’s theme for my Creative Sewing Challenge (Queen of Hearts). Sign up below to start receiving these monthly prompts, and join our growing community using them to inspire your own sewing projects.

I used trace and tear to transfer the design onto navy felt, although it did get a bit fiddly to remove after I had finished sewing! Check out my post here if you would like to know about alternative approaches to pattern transfer.

To begin, I used back-stitch to sew the lettering, woven wheel stitch to create the roses, and satin stitch for the heart. When sewing the heart, I worked two layers of satin stitch, starting with horizontal stitches…

…and then working vertical stitches once I had removed the trace and tear. This gave my hearts a nice embossed effect.

I used gold thread and satin stitch to work the crown.

And a simple small back stitch for the author’s name.

Finally, I used a teeny tiny fishbone stitch for the leaves…use a fine needle and two strands of thread if you do the same!

And my hoop was finished!

If you do go on to use this pattern, please do tag me on Instagram @amylovestosew, I love to see how people use my designs.

And don’t forget to sign up for the Creative Sewing Challenge for monthly ideas and inspiration: